mac carbon eyeshadow

I was watching Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance Music Video yesterday, and I felt a little inspired by the bold makeup she’s wearing around the four minute mark. At first, I thought she was wearing this look while dancing a bit, but I think the looks are different–the one she wears while dancing (also around the four minute mark) seems cleaner, not quite as dark, though the lips seem really similar.

Anyway, this is inspired byand not so much as an exact replica. If you wanted to be more on target, I’d say to go for a slightly messier smoky eye, add a little bit of gloss to make it look wet and have a sheen, and then go for a very dramatic cheek contour. The shape of the black portion on the eye also goes up quite close to the inner brow bone and then comes down. The lashes should also be bigger and flair out more on the outer lash line.

Also, this look is actually REALLY easy. No, seriously! It’s pretty much any cream black base all over the lid. I used the same technique I did back in 2007 to create this black smoky eye tutorial. The lashes took me infinitely longer and still didn’t adhere correctly–but it was good enough to fake it in photos (and my eyes were burning from upper lash line irritation, so it was a hurry-up-and-finish situation).

Directions: Apply Blacktrack fluidline all over the lid as the base with the 249. With the 239, pack Carbon eyeshadow on all over the lid. Using the 226 brush, lightly blend the crease with Vex eyeshadow. Sweep Bisque eyeshadow underneath the brow bone to highlight. Finish with Feline Kohl Power on lower lash line, and apply false lashes to upper lash line, then lightly apply Zoom Fast Black mascara on lashes. Sweep hollows of cheeks with Sculpt sculpting powder using the 168, then highlight with Dior Amber Diamond Skin Shimmer with the 165. Apply Red No. 5 lipstick to lips, and then top with Violetta for color and shine.

Build a Quad: “Smoky Duo”

To me, the classic smoky eye is a mix of grays, silvers, and blacks–but the best part about smoky eyes? You can make any eye smoky. I thought rather than just doing a monochromatic quad for smoky eyes (at least, this time around!), it’d be nice to give you the ability to create two different smoky eyed looks in one.

A few looks I’ve done that can be replicated with these shades…

Build a Quad is a feature focusing on creating different eyeshadow palettes that are both beautiful and functional using permanent shades of eyeshadow. We invite readers to suggest their own build-a-quads — just leave your ideas in the comments! Don’t forget to name your quad!

Directions: Define brows using a coordinating powder shadow applied with the 266 brush. Apply Soft Ochre paint pot all over the lid as the base with the 249. On the inner lid, pack Electra eyeshadow on using the 239. Apply Silver Ring eyeshadow to the middle and outer portions of the lid. Darken crease and outer lid with Typographic eyeshadow using the 226, then deepen with Carbon eyeshadow with the 219. Sweep Blanc Type eyeshadow underneath the brow bone to highlight. Finish with Blacktrack fluidline on lower lash line and upper lash line using the 208. Apply Plushlash mascara on lashes. Sweep apples of cheeks with Enough Said blush using the 129, then highlight with Dior Amber Diamond Skin Shimmer with the 188. Apply Honeyflower lipstick to lips, and then top with Nymphette lipglass for color and shine.

7 Must-Have Gray/Black MAC Eyeshadows

About the Temptalia Must-Haves Series

A series of posts showcasing must-have products from MAC Cosmetics’ permanent line of products. Selections are based on quality, universality, uniqueness amongst the line, and the like. Limited edition shades are deliberately excluded to make buying easier.Readers’ comments act as a supplement to these lists of their favorites and must-haves. You can find the entire series here.

Silver Ring eyeshadow is a medium-to-dark shimmery, silver-gray color. It’s one of my favorite colors to use for a classic smokey eye!

Electra eyeshadow is a bright silver that works really well to brighten up a look, because it’s not so dark like Silver Ring.

Print eyeshadow is a deep newsprint gray. It’s a great shadow to add dimension to a look beyond just smokey eyes. I just love the smooth texture of this shadow.

Carbon eyeshadow is a must-have matte black eyeshadow. It’s pretty black, though not the blackest shadow I’ve come across–but it’s the right shade of multi-use black. It can be softened while it can also be built up into a darker black.

Quick Directions: Define brows using a coordinating powder shadow applied with the 266 brush. Apply Soft Ochre paint pot all over the lid as the base with the 249. On the inner lid, apply Electra eyeshadow using the 239. Apply Silver Ring eyeshadow to the middle of the lid, extending to the outer lid. Darken the outer lid with Carbon eyeshadow using the 239. Darken crease with Carbon eyeshadow using the 226. Sweep Shroom eyeshadow underneath the brow bone to highlight. Smudge Silver Ring eyeshadow on the lower lash line using the 219 brush. Finish with Graphblack technakohl on lower lash line, Blacktrack fluidline on upper lash line, and Zoomlash mascara on lashes. Sweep apples of cheeks with Well Dressed blush using the 129, then highlight with Dior Rose Diamond Skin Shimmer with the 188. Apply Sandy B lipstick to lips, and then top with C-Thru lipglass for color and shine.

It’s been SO long since I’ve done the “traditional” smokey eye, so I had the urge to try it out again I’m spending my weekend cramming/studying for my Stats and Managerial Accounting finals on Monday (yay, back-to-back finals, so awesome!). I’m meeting up with some study buddies for Stats in an hour — I’m hoping it will really help bring things together for me.

What are you doing this weekend? Let me live vicariously through you so my weekend isn’t a total bummer!!

Directions: Define brows using a coordinating powder shadow applied with the 266 brush. Apply Soft Ochre paint pot all over the lid as the base with the 249. On the inner lid, apply Electra eyeshadow using the 239. Apply Silver Ring eyeshadow to the middle of the lid, extending to the outer lid. Darken the outer lid Carbon Flip eyeshadow using the 239. Darken crease with Carbon eyeshadow using the 226. Sweep Shroom eyeshadow underneath the brow bone to highlight. Smudge Silver Ring eyeshadow on the lower lash line using the 219 brush. Finish with Graphblack technakohl on lower lash line, Blacktrack fluidline on upper lash line, and Zoomlash mascara on lashes. Sweep apples of cheeks with Well Dressed blush using the 129, then highlight with Dior Rose Diamond Skin Shimmer with the 188. Apply Sandy B lipstick to lips, and then top with C-Thru lipglass for color and shine.